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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why I Did Not Want a Wedding Dress That I Actually Loved

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

Melissa Wardwell's Blended Lives released last week, and boy! Is it a great book with not one but TWO weddings in the offing! EEEP! via @chautonahavig

While other girls dreamed of their wedding dresses, I schemed to find a way to get Nancy Drew’s wardrobe. So when the time for me to come up with a wedding dress, I had no idea. I knew what I didn’t want but not what I did.  The funny thing is, I ended up with a dress that I LOVED but didn’t want.  The dress I wanted was an ivory, tea-length, Jessica McClintock. $120.  Perfection in my book.

That idea was shot down the moment I saw another dress and loved it.  I didn’t WANT it.  The thing was fussier than I usually prefer and it was most definitely more formal than what I was going for. No matter how much I fought for the ivory dress, someone else (NOT my mother… Mom was 100% not involved in the wedding process) shot it back down.

I did what any broke girl did. I put that sucker on lay-a-way to shut her up and started skipping more meals to pay for it.

Yay. Me.

Our wedding was to take place on February 18th.  On December… oh, 28th?  Ish? My husband broke my jaw in a car accident.  That dress that fit perfectly?  Yeah.  The poor seamstress who had to do the fitting had to wait until the week before the wedding to do the final stuff because I kept dropping inches left and right.  She also ruined the skirt by shortening it in a way that made the three tiers unbalanced, but we won’t talk about that.  Not bitter… not at all… (just kidding).

The wires came off my teeth a week before the wedding, but the damage had been done. I kept losing pound after pound, inch after inch, even into our honeymoon! And on the day of my wedding… I looked like a cloud of fluffy white. And anytime I turned without extreme care, my photographer would say, “Get back in your dress.”

Because that dress would stay put while I turned inside.  So embarrassing.

Putting this out there for the curious and for a bit of “HA! I was right!” Had I purchased THE DRESS I WANTED… that wardrobe malfunction wouldn’t have happened, and I would not have needed the dress altered at all.  Just sayin’.

Did my recent anniversary spark this trip down bridal nightmare memory lane? Nope. There’s a reason I decided to tell you…

Blended Lives Melissa Wardwell

Note: Links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you

Why I Did Not Want a Wedding Dress That I Actually Loved

And it isn’t for catharsis or anything (although I won’t refuse a good wallow when it is beneficial!)

Melissa Wardwell’s fourth book in the Independence Islands Series, her Sparrow Island book, released last Tuesday! The authors were asked to tell about the moment that they knew their dress was “the one.”  I just happened to be the gal whose “the one” really should have been “the one” for so many reasons but “The One” wasn’t the one at all.  #BecauseMe.

Blended Lives by Melissa WardwellBlended Lives Melissa Wardwell

Wedding bells are ringing on the islands, but more than romance is in the air.

Seth Mikels experienced a fulfilling marriage with his wife until her sudden death left him alone to raise their two daughters. As they approach their teens, it’s obvious that they need a woman’s influence. He’s not looking for love, but he could use the partnership of a wife. Between his handyman business and playing Mr. Mom, time is fading fast.

Sarah Reid has spent the last four years caught in the middle of one island drama after another. Following the most recent fiasco, she hopes to find refuge on Sparrow Island with her two little boys. Climbing bills and a dwindling bank account leave her no choice but to sell out and move to the mainland. Enter Seth’s handyman skills and an unexpected romance.

With Beth and Scott planning their own Merriweather wedding (complete with a Momzilla), will wedding bells ring out on Sparrow, too?

Read the next Sparrow Island novel in the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.
The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

More from the other authors….

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the other posts from the authors, learn their wedding dress stories, and enter their giveaways:
Melissa Wardwell: February 22
Kari Trumbo: February 23
Rachel Skatvold: February 24
Tabitha Bouldin: February 25
Carolyn Miller: February 26
Chautona Havig: February 27
Sandy Barela: February 28

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Previous Post: « Book Club Capers: February Part 2
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  1. Colleen says

    February 28, 2022 at 9:55 am

    So – I think we need a picture here! 🙂

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
byChautona Havig

I really love a good book with broken people finding redemption. So when I got to chat with Gloriaea about her book, Broken Algorithm, I knew this was going to be right up my alley. Listen in and see why I’m so excited.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

We chatted about so many things, including the inspiration for the book, her setting–all the things!

Broken Algorithm by Gloriaea

All she wanted was a home…

Brit has moved from one prison to another since she was eight. Now she’s free, and nothing will stop her from getting back her family. Nothing…except the people who tore her life apart.

She didn’t need his help. So why was he everywhere?

Sam finally has his life on track. Working for the Canadian federal police is miles away from his teenage rebellion. Nothing could prepare him for the petite ex-convict with magnetic coffee eyes.

The clock is ticking for Brit’s family reunion and shadowy figures haunt her steps. Will Brit discover the true meaning of home? Or will she lose the family she has sacrificed everything to save?

Learn more on Gloriaea’s WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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  • and more!
Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
Episode 554: A Chat with Gloriaea
June 22, 2026
Chautona Havig
Episode 553: A Chat with Chris Underwood
June 20, 2026
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Episode 552: A Chat with Laura Ashwood
June 17, 2026
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Episode 551: A Chat wth Kayla E. Green
June 15, 2026
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Episode 550: A Chat with Joan Lovestrand Farley
June 13, 2026
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Episode 549: A Chat with Laura DeNooyer
June 8, 2026
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Episode 548: A Chat with Sarah Heatwole
June 6, 2026
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Episode 547: A Chat with Terri McAdoo
June 1, 2026
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Episode 546: A Chat with Chuck Richardson
May 30, 2026
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Episode 545: A Chat with Gina Holder
May 25, 2026
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